The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal of a Federal Court ruling, which allowed the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project to proceed in northern British Columbia.
As usual, the high court gave no reasons for Thursday’s decision.
First Nations in the affected area took the federal government to court over its initial approval. They won their case after it was deemed there was not proper consultation with aboriginal groups or a proper assessment of the environmental impact.
After a second round of consultations and hearings, the lower court approved the cabinet’s second approval in June 2019.
First Nations had argued that even that decision was flawed. They noted it was the federal government that was allowed to determine whether their consultations were adequate. First Nations argued the judgment on the consultations should have been made by an independent third party.